No Two Sales Teams are Identical

June 27, 2011

In recent months I’ve been on the road quite a bit — I’ve spent time at Balihoo (ID), Instructure (UT) and most recently Prognosis (TX), helping them build out certain elements of their inside sales operations.

One thing that I have come to realize is that NO two sales organizations are exactly the same. In fact, the companies I have worked with recently are all very different despite OpenView’s niche investment target (expansion stage technology organizations — check out what our founder Scott Maxwell has to say about this type of company here). Different personalities, different sales processes,  different target segments, different buyer personas, different buying cycles, different metrics and goals… the list goes on.

Here is the big question: is one sales organization better than the other?

My answer:  NOT AT ALL.

Here at OpenView Labs, led by Brian Zimmerman, we expect that no prioritized initiative within the portfolio is going to be exactly the same as the last. Each project presents different challenges and the need for unique solutions.

What we offer as strategic advisors to our investments are models that have been tried and tested within expansion stage technology organizations — for instance — the Lead Qualification model. Take that proven model, couple it with coaching and support — and you’ve got the essence of OpenView Labs.

Interestingly, what has happened with every Lead Qualification implementation is that the model has been slightly adjusted and tweaked to make the program successful within every unique sales organization. This is the fun part — tailoring the initiative to make it work within a particular company and getting an operation to a point where it is a well-oiled machine producing quantifiable results.

What’s one way the sales organizations are the same in our portfolio?  Well, they all have a vision for greatness. Cheesy, but true. They all want to be top dog in their particular space and they are working their asses off (pardon my French) to get there.

As we wrap up the second quarter and dive into the third — I’m excited about the upcoming initiatives and to work with sales teams in our portfolio. There’s never a dull moment — that’s for sure!